Bangalore: BJP Leader D H Shankara Murthy was on Thursday unanimously elected Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council for the second successive term.
Shankarmurthy is the only legislator to be elected Council Chairman for the second term after Digambarrao Balwantrao Kalmankar.
Kalmankar`s two terms spanned a seven year period (January 1993 to June 1994 and August 1994 to May 2000).
Senior member and Congress leader M V Rajshekaran,who was appointed pro tem Chairman, announced the election of Shankarmurthy.
Shankaramurthy, who recently won the South-West graduate constituency for a fifth consecutive term, was the lone contender to file nomination papers for the upper house presiding officer election.
Rajashekaran put the motion seeking Shankaramurthy elction to the post of presiding officer of the house and it was carried by voice vote.
The ruling BJP has commands a strength of 41 in the 75-member house, followed by 17 by congress, 12 JDS, Independent one and four vacancies.
Shankaramurthy later announced appointment of Congress member S R Patil as Opposition leader of the house.
PTI
